A earthquake magnitude of 3.8 on the Richter scale occurred at noon on Tuesday (23/04) in Chania.
Specifically, according to revised Geodynamic Institute solutionthe earthquake occurred at 14:38 with the epicenter located 16 kilometers south of Sougia Chania, i.e. in the Libyan Sea.
Also, the focal depth of the earthquake in Chania was calculated at only 7 kilometers.
The earthquake simulation exercise continues in Crete
For the second day, the earthquake protection exercise “Minoas” is progressing in Crete, organized by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, the Organization for Earthquake Planning & Protection (OASP) and the Region of Crete. This is the largest full-scale operational field exercise ever designed in the country to respond to a major earthquake.
The scenario of the exercise concerns the occurrence of a strong seismic tremor of magnitude 6.4 Richter centered in the underwater area, 20 kilometers northeast of the city of Chania, affecting the P.E. Chania and Rethymno. On Tuesday morning (23/04), approximately 24 hours after the first strong seismic event, a new earthquake of magnitude 7.2 Richter with an epicenter of 30 kilometers occurred in the underwater area north of the Heraklion gate, always based on the exercise scenario, the which is strongly felt throughout Crete and in the wider region, particularly affecting the P.E. of Heraklion and Lasithi while, at the same time, marine geodynamic waves (tsunamis) are caused which attack the northern coasts of Crete.
As part of the exercise, on Monday (22/04), a message was sent via 112 to the residents of Chania and Rethymno to warn of a major earthquake: “DRILL – DRILL – DRILL MINISTRY OF CLIMATE CRISIS AND CIVIL PROTECTION – 22/04/2024 – TIME 10:20 – Strong seismic vibration felt in the Chania and Rethymno Regional Units – Start of the MINOAS 2024 earthquake exercise”
In fact, on Tuesday (23/04) two 112 messages were sent to all of Crete. The first message, which signaled the start of the second day’s exercise, was sent after 10:00 and had the following content: “EXERCISE – EXERCISE – EXERCISE MINISTRY OF CLIMATE CRISIS AND CIVIL PROTECTION 23/04/2024 – TIME (…) – Very strong seismic vibration felt throughout Crete. Start of the MINOAS 2024 earthquake exercise”.
The second message followed a few minutes after the first and was a warning message about the risk of a tsunami due to the seismic tremor, with the following content: “EXERCISE – EXERCISE – EXERCISE MINISTRY OF CLIMATE CRISIS & CIVIL PROTECTION 23/04/2024 TIME (…) – A magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred with an epicenter 30 km W of Heraklion. Risk of a possible tsunami event in your area. Move immediately away from the shores. Follow the instructions of the local authorities”.